Foundation
by pleiades007
Summary: Rated for language. Complete-jerk!James Albus and Scorpius graduated, and James makes a scene at their party. Scorpius can't stand James, but Albus is his foundation. JKR has all the rights. Written for the ass carnival. Albus P/Scorpius M One-shot


Albus was very quiet when it happened. That was probably what set Scorpius off. After all, James had been a dick to them at least once a day. The older boy went out of the way to antagonize the pair. Albus and Scorpius had been called every name under the sun synonymous with fag by James; they were quite accustomed to it. In fact, it had almost become a game. James would think of inventive ways to offend the boys, and they, in turn, would continue to ignore him. They were quite good at remaining passive.

There was one time when Scorpius did react to the taunts. James was growing tired of not earning any sort of response from the boys. He had exhausted the topic of their sexuality. And so he tried a different approach.

Albus and Scorpius were bent over a pile of homework in the library when James leaned in to whisper in his brother's ear. "I don't know how you can touch him, Al," he sneered. Albus rolled his eyes.

"James, OWLs are weeks away. Can you please put your bully-side away until our exams are over," he replied, without looking up. James, of course, just sat down at the table, joining them. Scorpius continued with his studying as if nothing were happening.

"I'm serious, Albus. If you want to have your way with blokes, fine. But did you have to pick a Malfoy?" Both Potters saw Scorpius's hand clench and they knew at the same instant that James had struck gold.

"James, please," Albus begged, trying to avoid any sort of confrontation.

"Dad's in the Ministry, Al! Do you ever stop to think about how your friendship with the son of Draco Malfoy, probably the weakest, most path-"

Scorpius had jumped out of his seat, pulled James up by the scruff of his neck and slammed him against the wall in an instant. One of his hands was choking off James's breath as the other pinned the older boy against the wall. There was no distance between their bodies or faces. The mess of screams from other students, Albus, and the librarian did not deter the blonde.

"I could maim you, Potter," Scorpius sneered, "so that you could never walk again with a flick of my wand. But I'd rather feel your bones crack under my hands." He spat in James's eye and turned away. After a moment, his books had been packed and Scorpius was out of the library. Albus glared at his brother but soon followed after his boyfriend, muttering apologies.

Thus James Potter discovered the singular weakness of Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius's threat had terrified James into laying off. The incident was never discussed, but it was clear that James never forgot.

888

It was all unfortunate timing, really. Albus's aunt, Hermione Weasley, had decided to compose a comprehensive dissertation on the wars the dark Lord Voldemort had wrought on the wizarding world. She had gone to Malfoy, asking his permission to publish the part the Malfoy family had played in the final battle. Draco had given her all the rights to fully explaining how the Death Eaters had pierced through the defenses of Hogwarts in their sixth year and what had occurred between his mother and Harry Potter in the Forbidden Forest in their seventh year, publicly announcing for the first time that the Malfoys had been supporters of Voldemort.

Hermione thought that by delaying the publishing of her essay by more than a decade, the attitudes of the wizarding world toward the families that had been involved in Lord Voldemort's plans would not diminish. For the most part, she was right. Most witches and wizards were aware of who supported Voldemort and who sought his demise.

James Potter, however, had not taken the news so well. His father had never revealed the part the Malfoy's played in the war, claiming it was not his right to speak of.

Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy decided to throw a joint party to celebrate Al and Scorpius graduating from Hogwarts. The two boys were seated in the middle of a long table, laughing and enjoying the festivities. Their parents sat at their sides. James and Lily sat farther down the table, past Harry and Ginny. The day was filled with nostalgic stories and well-wishes. Every member of the party had walked up to the boys to offer their congratulations.

James was one of the last to approach the boys. He jerked his chin in acknowledgement. "Congrats, Al. I'm surprised you manage to make it, with this scum dragging you down." Albus's smile dropped immediately into a pained grimace.

"James, can't you just once be happy for me?"

"I am happy for you, bro. Just disappointed you haven't learned, that's all." He began to walk away.

"I'm sorry about him, Scorpius. He's just letting off some nerves. Trisha just sent him an owl talking about how she couldn't see him anymore."

James had whirled around in an instant. "You little shit, Albus." The party had gone silent. "You think that bitch has anything to do with it? How about you point that analyzing finger back at yourself? You're the one fucking a Malfoy!" At this point, Harry had caught up to his sons. He placed a very tight hand on James's shoulder and tried to steer him away. "You go on acting all sensitive and caring to everyone, and here you are, killing your family because you're not strong enough to say no to a pretty face! " He spat toward Scorpius, whose hand tightened around Albus's. "It's bad enough you're friends with it, all but forcing Dad to offer his friendship to the whole goddamned family! They don't belong anywhere, Albus! They're traitors!"

Harry now put both hands on his son's shoulders and steered him away, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid the flying fist that crashed into James's face. There was an audible crack from the breaking of James's nose and a gasp from the surrounding crowd. The shock from the impact had sent both Potters flying into the ground.

Draco had then caught up to his son, who was clenching his free hand, trying to ease the pain from the collision with James's face. "Let's go, Scorpius. We've invaded the Potter's company long enough," Malfoy Senior whispered to his son.

Scorpius turned to walk away, without saying a word, but Albus wouldn't let go of his hand. "Scorpius," Albus choked, "please don't leave. I – he—I'm so sorry. None of it's true. Not a word." Scorpius severed their hands. "Scorpius!" Albus fell to his knees. Scorpius and his parents had apparated not a second later.

888

Albus was still a wreck two months after the incident at his graduation celebration. The Malfoys had apparated away from the party and had not sent word since. Al had no idea of when he would next talk with Scorpius, if he would get the chance at all. He was driven half-mad by the thought of never touching his closest friend again. James had come back more than a week after the scene and asked for Al's forgiveness. Harry had to peel his sons apart, both bloody and broken from the following attack. Harry had sent James away, back to his house on the lake, and had sat his son down for a talk.

"What your brother did was horrible. It embarrassed the whole family, having him behave that way. Your mother doesn't know what to do with herself. She's written more than ten owls to Astoria, begging for her forgiveness, but all of them have been returned with the seal unbroken. I've tried hundreds of times to get Draco alone at the office, but he refuses to see me. And Scorpius-" Albus moaned, leaning his head back, "well, you can't go on forever like this, Albus. You need to at least try to talk to him. James has invited us to his house for the weekend. I'll leave work early today so that we can take this afternoon. You will not be going. I have made sure that Draco is aware that you will be alone for the weekend and that Scorpius is expected." Albus glared his father, who was already walking away.

888

Friday afternoon came and went. The Potters, minus one depressed Albus, took off for the beach without incident, and soon Albus was alone. He sat on the couch, staring at the clock as the hours rolled by. He knew Scorpius would not show up. He knew it was hopeless. He spent the whole of Saturday either in the kitchen eating or on the living room sofa watching time crawl by. Sunday passed much the same, until there was a sharp knock on the front door.

Albus debated whether he should get off the furniture. At the third knock, he decided he should not leave the visitor standing in the rain. He walked slowly to the door and opened it to see Scorpius standing on the landing. Albus slammed the door. He turned around and walked up the stairs to his bedroom. Five minutes later, after Albus had gotten comfortable laying on his bed, he heard the door open.

Scorpius was standing in his doorway when Albus moved his arm away from his eyes. They remained silent as the blonde entered the room and sat at the foot of the bed.

"You left," Albus said simply.

"Yes."

"Where did you go?"

"France. To my aunt's."

"Was it nice?"

"I've had more pleasant trips."

"Ah." Albus stared at his ceiling, not interested in the conversation. "Why are you here, Scorpius?"

"I came here to talk. I," he drew in a deep breath, "I hope you can understand why I left. I was so angry. At James for being the biggest fucking asshole in the world. At you for not butting in. At your father for not calming things down. At my father for not letting anyone explain what the fuck was going on." He looked at Albus with pain in his eyes. "I came here with a huge burden, a heavy load on my shoulders. And I know that you can make it lighter, if we just talk it out." Scorpius crawled next to Albus and fit himself under the other boy's shoulders. "You should know," he began again, "that no matter how pissed off I am at you, I could never go on without you." Albus hmmm'ed in his ear, not allowing himself to believe any of it. Scorpius smiled. "I'm like a tree, Al. And you're my rock. I need some foundation. It's all you."

Albus sighed. "James will never change."

Scorpius wrinkled his nose. "Neither will I."

"Nor I," Albus agreed. "The next time you decide to up and leave, Scorpius, you can at least have the nerve to say goodbye."

"The next time I leave," Scorpius whispered, "I'll take you with me."


End file.
